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2. The New Southbound Policy Deepening Taiwan’s Regional Integration
- Author:
- Bonnie Glaser, Scott Kennedy, and Matthew Funaiole
- Publication Date:
- 01-2018
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Abstract:
- In a concerted effort to expand Taiwan’s presence across the Indo-Pacific, President Tsai Ing-wen has introduced the New Southbound Policy (NSP) to strengthen Taipei’s relationships with the 10 countries of ASEAN, six states in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan), Australia, and New Zealand. The policy is designed to leverage Taiwan’s cultural, educational, technological, agricultural, and economic assets to deepen its regional integration. This report tracks the ongoing implementation of the NSP and assesses what has been achieved since Tsai was elected in January 2016. The Guidelines for the New Southbound Policy issued by the Tsai administration detail that the policy is designed to (1) forge a “sense of economy community” by fostering links between Taiwan and the 18 NSP target countries; and (2) establish mechanisms for wide-ranging negotiations and dialogues, and to “form a consensus for cooperation” with NSP target countries. In the short and medium term, the Guidelines identify four goals: (1) use national will, policy incentives, and business opportunities to spur and expand “two-way” exchanges with NSP target countries; (2) encourage industry to adopt “a New Southbound strategy” in their planning; (3) cultivate more people with the skills needed to support the NSP; and (4) expand multilateral and bilateral negotiations and dialogues to enhance economic cooperation and resolve disputes and disagreements.1 The NSP follows from similarly named policies initiated under Presidents Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian, which were aimed at diversifying Taiwan’s outbound investment away from Mainland China and into Southeast Asia. Since these prior efforts had only a limited impact, skeptics often mischaracterize the NSP as the latest iteration of a failed policy. Such naysayers fail to appreciate, however, that Tsai’s approach is both more strategic and more comprehensive than those of her predecessors. While diversifying and reinvigorating Taiwan’s economy remain fundamental to the NSP, the policy also outlines mechanisms for more effectively integrating Taiwan into the region through cultivating interpersonal connections. Moreover, the NSP is being implemented at a time of slowing growth and rising wages in Mainland China, while investment opportunities are booming in Southeast Asia and South Asia. The core economic goals of the NSP include institutional initiatives, such as updating and expanding economic agreements with targeted countries. At the same time, Taiwan is seeking to encourage small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to explore opportunities overseas. Taipei has also identified avenues for improving bilateral ties by engaging with the general publics of NSP target countries, as well as with government officials and business executives. As such, Taiwan has invested heavily in expanding cultural and educational exchanges to help promote a deeper under- standing of South and Southeast Asian cultures, languages, and business practices among the people of Taiwan. These “people-centered” exchanges serve to realize Taipei’s twin goals of strengthening Taiwan’s integration with the region and facilitating its economic diversification. It is too early to determine whether the NSP will ultimately achieve its ambitious goals, and it may take years before the Tsai government’s investment will start paying dividends. Furthermore, the NSP should be carefully examined by both the countries targeted by Tsai and partners further afield—including the United States. Many of these countries have a vested interest in bolstering the mechanisms available for Taiwan to contribute to the peaceful development of Asia. These countries may find that the goals of the NSP overlap with their own objectives in the region, and therefore may be eager to lend additional support to the endeavor. Selected Policy Recommendations for the United States The United States has a profound interest in the success of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. Taiwan has been a long-standing partner of the United States. Its democracy and free society are a beacon of liberal values in the region, while its economic development model has been admired and studied for decades by nations in Asia and beyond. To date, the United States does not appear to have given much thought or expended much effort to support the NSP within Asia. We suggest the United States consider actively supporting the NSP. We recommend the following specific actions: The assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs should coordinate with his/ her counterpart in the South and Central Asia division to create an internal working group to consider how the U.S. government can support the NSP. The U.S. government should engage Japan, Australia, and India, the other members of the “quad,” in support of the NSP. The U.S. government should continue to support Taiwan’s inclusion and active participation in international and regional initiatives where statehood is not required. U.S. nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), particularly those with programs in NSP target countries, should consider partnerships with NGOs in Taiwan to integrate their work where appropriate in support of the NSP. The Commerce Department’s U.S. Commercial Service should engage with American industry associations and companies, and explore potential avenues of collaboration be- tween American and Taiwan industry in NSP target countries. The United States should consider bilateral (U.S.-Taiwan) cultural initiatives that may be brought to third countries in Asia. The United States should include Taiwan youth in relevant regional programs and networks.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Education, Regional Cooperation, Science and Technology, Culture, and ASEAN
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan
3. Financing Women Farmers: The need to Increase and Redirect Agriculture and Climate Adaptation Resources
- Author:
- Rebecca Pearl-Martinez
- Publication Date:
- 10-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Oxfam analysis finds that governments and donors are failing to provide women farmers with relevant and adequate support for farming and adapting to climate change. Oxfam conducted research on government and donor investments in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania. It found that funding in these countries is significantly lower than commitments that have been made, and there is little evidence of resources and technical assistance reaching women farmers. Resources are being diverted to priorities other than smallholder farmers, and for the most part governments lack the capacity to deliver funding to them. This paper presents the findings along with recommendations for governments.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Gender Issues, Women, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, Africa, Middle East, Philippines, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Ghana
4. Impact of Microcredit Scheme on Socio-economic Status of Farmers (A case study of PRSP in District Gujranwala)
- Author:
- Muhammad Alam, Raza Ullah, Ali Iqtidar Mirza, Waqar Saleem, Mehboob Elahi, and Hamid Sultan
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- South Asian Studies
- Institution:
- Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
- Abstract:
- Pakistan is an agricultural country and the majority of the population belongs to rural areas, therefore rural sector is the main source of economic development and manpower in the country. The development of rural areas is essential for the enhancement of agriculture sector and for the betterment of rural communities. The aim of the present study was to find the impact of microcredit on socio- economic status and living standards of the farmers in rural areas of district Gujranwala. The universe for the present study was all farmers who got loan from the Punjab Rural Support Program in district Gujranwala for agricultural purpose. The Sample of 185 respondents was selected from the targeted population using the simple random sampling technique. A survey was conducted to carry out the study in which a close ended structured questionnaire was developed to collect data from the farmers. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to draw the results from the study. Through descriptive analysis, the study clearly demonstrated that microcredit has played a positive role in improving the socioeconomic status of farmers after getting the loan. In this regard the study observed that microcredit played the positive role in changing and improving the living standards, diet patterns, health status and childrens education of the respondents. Chi square test was used to test the proposed hypothesis of the study and to verify the association between variables. The results of the Chi square test revealed that there was a significant impact of microcredit in improving socioeconomic status and household living standard of the farmers.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Health, Microcredit, Dietary Habits, Farmers, and Standard of Living
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and South Asia